1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a pipe laser.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional laser reference generating devices, such as laser devices used for laying pipe, typically include some type of grade adjustment feature so that pipe sections may be laid at different grades depending on the particular need of a project. Some conventional pipe lasers also include horizontal line control adjustment features to assist in directionality of pipe laying projects. These features of conventional pipe lasers place a high premium on leveling accuracy.
For example, if a pipe laser device is not level in the “on-axis” direction (i.e., the direction generally coincident with the line of the reference laser beam), grade adjustment calculations may be thrown off. As such, conventional pipe lasers include some type of on-axis leveling feature (e.g., to ensure that the laser itself is at a zero grade).
However on-axis leveling is not the only leveling problem faced by laser generating devices. Pipe lasers and other laser generating devices must also be concerned with cross-axis leveling (i.e., leveling in a direction perpendicular to the on-axis direction/laser reference beam). If a pipe laser is not level in the cross-axis direction (e.g., the device is “rolled” to some extent) grade adjustment will not occur along a completely vertical plane and line control adjustment will not occur along a completely horizontal plane.
Some conventional pipe lasers provide a bubble vial on the external surface of the pipe laser to indicate a rough estimate of cross-axis level, enabling users to attempt to manually adjust the cross-axis level of the laser. However, bubble vials and manual cross-axis leveling alone are not precise enough to ensure a completely level system, especially for use at long distances.
Some conventional pipe lasers attempt to deal with cross-axis mis-leveling using their line control functions. For example, if a pipe laser is out of level in the cross axis direction and the grade of the reference laser on that pipe laser is adjusted, the reference laser will deviate horizontally from the target. The conventional pipe laser may detect this out of level condition using an electrolytic level vial and utilize its line control to horizontally adjust the reference laser back to its target. The actual grade arrived at by the convention pipe laser will also be different from the desired grade, so additional adjustments will have to be made to adjust the grade as well. The problem with this line control compensation technique is that the calculation required to accurately utilize line control and additional grade adjustments is complicated and error prone, producing more of an estimated correction rather than an actual correction. Furthermore, certain types of electrolytic leveling vials used in some conventional pipe lasers may be inaccurate at certain temperatures. As such, a temperature compensation component must be added to the already complicated compensation calculation.
Thus, there exists a need for an improved leveling system for pipe laser devices. The invention solves these and other problems in the art by providing a pipe laser that is automatically self leveling in both on-axis and cross axis directions.
Other problems with conventional pipe lasers include poor remote control functionality. Remote controls can be useful for the use of pipe lasers because pipes are often laid in deep ditches in the ground, thus posing problems with direct access to a pipe laser positioned within a pipe. However, conventional pipe laser remote controls provide unidirectional communication, such that an operator using a remote control is unsure whether his or her commands were received or implemented by the pipe laser and is unaware of certain status information relating to the pipe laser (e.g., battery level, environmental temperature, etc.). Furthermore, some conventional pipe laser remote controls utilize infrared light communication, which is unreliable in certain conditions, such as where a direct line of sight from a remote transmitter to a pipe laser receiver is unavailable. Other problems also exist.
As such there is a need for an improved remote control system for pipe lasers. The invention solved these and other problems in the art by providing a bidirectional remote controlled pipe laser.